The current trend is to integrate the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
standards, using and applying the common elements of both the
systems (i.e. Management Reviews, Corrective Actions, Document
Controls, Internal Audits). Registration companies encourage this
practice through combined audits that allow a company to
simultaneously obtain or maintain registration to ISO 9001 and
ISO 14001. A company’s decision to commit to the principles
of ISO 14001 will expand the scope of a company’s
obligations and responsibilities, increasing the requirements of
the ISO 9001 system.

Consider a simple piece of furniture made with medium-density
fiberboard (MDF), a wood-based composite material. Now consider
the impact of a simple finishing defect: one square millimeter of
exposed substrate. From a strict, ISO 9001 quality assurance
perspective, this is a minor aesthetic issue. The loss to society
is, at worst, an annoying eyesore that can be touched up with
chalk, ink, or a simple patch.

The situation changes when the furniture manufacturer expands
the scope of its management system to include the obligations of
ISO 14001. Since MDF is used as a key material for products, MDF
and its component parts must be considered as significant
environmental aspects requiring attention. The major
environmental risk of using MDF is the risk of formaldehyde
emissions. Formaldehyde is a toxic substance that causes
irritation in the eyes and throat, which can lead to cumulative,
permanent deterioration of health. For this reason, governments
in Canada and the United States have explicit regulations
addressing this issue. In an attempt to prevent MDF from total
recall and prohibition (the fate suffered by producers of urea
formaldehyde foam insulation), a specific set of industry
requirements has been established to contain the formaldehyde and
prevent it from emitting at excessive levels.

Based on this new information, an area of exposed substrate,
even one as small as one square millimeter, can be considered a
significant defect resulting in a potential environmental hazard.
The loss to society is expanded from an aesthetic defect to
potential air quality contamination, health risks, and
environmental pollution.

What does this mean for an existing ISO 9001 quality assurance
system? The expanded scope will have to be addressed in the
different elements of the quality system. ISO 9001 is not a
quality assumption system; it is a quality assurance system. The
furniture manufacturer is required to provide objective evidence
that its products that contain MDF do not present an
environmental hazard.

No longer is it tolerable to simply cover the exposed MDF
substrate with a piece of chalk, ink, or a simple patch since
these are not acceptable barriers to formaldehyde emissions.
Instead of a quick fix, an audit must be conducted to answer the
following questions:

Was the MDF produced according to ANSI A208.2
standards?

Was the MDF sufficiently aged?

Was an adequate barrier applied, in the manner directed by
industry-approved guidelines?

Would this MDF piece pass the test protocol outlined in
ASTM D5014-94?

Would this MDF piece emit formaldehyde at a level exceeding
the regulated limits?

In conclusion, the augmentation of ISO 14001 requirements to
an existing ISO 9001 quality assurance system will expand the
scope of the management system and require expansion of the
quality system elements to address the expanded scope. A company
that is unprepared to escalate the quality system to an
appropriate level and provide adequate and sufficient resources
to ISO 9001 compliance should carefully consider its decision to
commit to the principles of ISO 14001. Otherwise it may find
itself overwhelmed and unable to fulfill its explicit
obligations.

Dan Zrymiak is a senior member of the
American Society for Quality, presently serving as the Region 4
(Canada) Deputy Regional Councilor for the ASQ Software Division.
He is employed as a Quality Systems Specialist with A.L.I.
Technologies Inc., Richmond, B.C., Canada.